Methods and systems for determining segments of a telephonic communication between a customer and a contact center to classify each segment of the communication, assess negotiations, and automate setup time calculation

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a method and system for analyzing an electronic communication, more particularly, to analyzing a telephone communication between a customer and a contact center to determine communication objects, forming segments of like communication objects, determining strength of negotiations between the contact center and the customer from the segments, and automate setup time calculation.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present invention claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 60/976,350, filed Sep. 28, 2007.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a method and system for analyzing an electroniccommunication, more particularly, to analyzing a telephone communicationbetween a customer and a contact center to determine communicationobjects, forming segments of like communication objects, determiningstrength of negotiations between the contact center and the customerfrom the segments, and automate setup time calculation.

BACKGROUND

It is known to utilize telephone call centers to facilitate the receipt,response and routing of incoming telephone calls relating to customerservice, retention, and sales. Generally, a customer is in contact witha customer service representative (“CSR”) or call center agent who isresponsible for answering the customer's inquiries and/or directing thecustomer to the appropriate individual, department, information source,or service as required to satisfy the customer's needs. It is also knownto utilize a web based system to facilitate requests and inquiriesrelated to customer service.

At the contact center, a customer is in contact with a customer servicerepresentative (“CSR”) or CSR agent who is responsible for answering thecustomer's inquiries and directing the customer to the appropriateindividual, department, information source, or service as required tosatisfy the customer's needs. At the contact center, the customer mayalso enter into an automated self-service system such as, for example,an interactive voice response (“IVR”) system. In an IVR system, thecustomer speaks to the IVR system directly and has the call processedaccordingly. It is also well known to provide self-service systems suchas an Internet web-based system to transmit inquiries and identifypossible solutions.

It is also known to monitor calls between a customer and a call centeragent. Accordingly, call centers typically employ individualsresponsible for listening to the communication between the customer andthe agent. Many companies have in-house call centers to respond tocustomers complaints and inquiries. In many case, however, it has beenfound to be cost effective for a company to hire third party telephonecall centers to handle such inquiries. As such, the call centers may belocated thousands of miles away from the actual sought manufacturer orindividual. This often results in use of inconsistent and subjectivemethods of monitoring, training and evaluating call center agents. Thesemethods also may vary widely from call center to call center.

While monitoring such calls may occur in real time, it is often moreefficient and useful to record the call for later review. Informationgathered from the calls is typically used to monitor the performance ofthe call center agents to identify possible training needs. Based on thereview and analysis of the communication, a monitor can make suggestionsor recommendations to improve the quality of the customer interaction.

Accordingly, there is a need in customer relationship management (“CRM”)for tools useful for breaking down a communication between a-customerand a CSR into objects and segments that may be classified intocategories for analysis. It is further desirable to determine from theseclassified segments (i.e., type of segment) how much aggregate time isspent on “non-business” conversation between a customer and a CSR at thecontact center. It is further desirable to determine the “businessfocused” communication objects and segments in a sales or collectionssituation, and determine if the communication is related to anegotiation. It is further desirable to determine the strength of thenegotiation by the CSR based on the identified negotiation segments.

For most calls received by a contact center, the initial portion of thecommunication between a customer and the CSR is related to “setup” todetermine who the customer is and validating their identity.Accordingly, it is desirable to determine communication objects andsegments related to setup to determine the ratio of time related tosetup as a function of the entire communication. It is further desirableto determine the amount of time spent by CSRs of a contact center on thesetup process for a plurality or substantially all communications.

The present invention is provided to solve the problems discussed aboveand other problems, and to provide advantages and aspects not providedby prior systems of this type. A full discussion of the features andadvantages of the present invention is deferred to the followingdetailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanyingdrawings.

SUMMARY

One example of the detailed description relates to a method foranalyzing a telephonic communication between a customer and a contactcenter. The method comprises separating a telephonic communication intoat least first constituent voice data and second constituent voice data.One or more of the first and second constituent voice data is analyzed.This analysis includes translating one of the first and secondconstituent voice data into a text format. The one or more of the firstand second constituent voice data as a first classification type or asecond classification type are identified. A first segment is formedfrom one or more of the data identified as the first communication type,and a second segment is formed from one or more of the data identifiedas the second communications type. A segment type of the first segment,the second segment, or the first and second segment may then beidentified.

Identifying the classification type may include identifying the data assetup, information exchange, miscommunication, non-interaction,conversation, or positive comment, or any combination thereof.

The first segment, second segment, or first and second segment of thecommunications may be identified as negotiations when the first segmenttype or the second segment type is classified as information exchange.

The exemplary method may include determining the number of negotiationsegments, and determining the negotiation strength of the telephoniccommunication based on the number of negotiation segments. The methodmay further comprise determining the average number of negotiationsegments for a contact center for a predetermined period of time and apredetermined number of telephonic communications with customers.

The exemplary method may further include determining the duration of thesegments identified as setup that determine the identity of thecustomer. The method may include determining the ratio of the durationof the identity of the customer segments to the total duration of thetelephonic communication between the customer and the contact center.

The exemplary method may further comprise determining non-interactionduration between the customer and the contact center during thetelephonic communication. This may be determined by assessing whetherthe customer has been placed on hold by the contact center.

The exemplary method may further comprise determining the increasedduration of the telephonic communication because of customer distress.

The exemplary method may further comprise determining the duration ofthe telephonic communication spent identifying the customer's needbefore transferring the telephonic communication within the contactcenter.

The exemplary method may further comprise determining a problem solvinginteraction duration between customer and the contact center.

In addition, the exemplary method may further comprise determining anaverage call length for telephonic communications between a plurality ofcustomers and the contact center.

The exemplary method may further comprise determining a sequence numberfor the first segment or the second segment, or the first segment andthe second segment.

The exemplary method may further comprise determining the duration ofthe first segment, the second segment, or the first segment and secondsegment.

In addition, the method may further comprise determining a emotionaldirection vector for the first segment, second segment, or first andsecond segment. The emotional direction vector may be positive,negative, or neutral.

The exemplary method may further comprise determining the topic of thefirst segment, second segment, or first and second segments. Thedetermined segment topic may be an information exchange. In determiningthe segment topic, the personality type of the customer may bedetermined.

The exemplary method may further comprise where the telephoniccommunication is received in digital format and the step of separatingthe communication into at least a first and second constituent voicedata comprises the steps of: identifying a communication protocolassociated with the telephonic communication; recording the telephoniccommunication to a first and second audio track, the first constituentvoice data being automatically recorded on the first audio track basedon the identified communication protocol, and the second constituentvoice data being automatically recorded on the second audio track basedon the identified communication protocol; and, separating at least oneof the first and second constituent voice data recorded on thecorresponding first and second track from the first electronic datafile.

The exemplary method may further comprise applying a predeterminedlinguistic-based psychological behavioral model to the translated one ofthe first and second constituent voice data, the applying stepcomprising the steps of: mining the translated voice data byautomatically identifying at least one of a plurality of behavioralsignifiers in the translated voice data, the at least one behavioralsignifier being associated with the psychological behavioral model; and,automatically associating the identified behavioral signifiers with atleast one of a plurality of personality types associated with thepsychological behavioral model; and, generating behavioral assessmentdata corresponding to the analyzed one of the first and second voicedata.

The disclosure also encompasses program products for implementing themethod outlined above. In such a product, the programming is embodied inor carried on a machine-readable medium.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing specification taken in conjunction with the followingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To understand the present invention, it will now be described by way ofexample, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of call center;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a computer used in connection with anexemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating the process of analyzing atelephonic communication in accordance with an exemplary embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating the process of analyzing atelephonic communication in accordance with an exemplary embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a telephonic communication system accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a telephonic communication system accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a telephonic communication system with amulti-port PSTN module according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating the process of recording andseparating a telephonic communication in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating the process of recording andseparating a telephonic communication in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating customer and CSR communicationsobject identification according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 11 is block diagram illustrating communications objectidentification from a VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) mono recordingusing speaker segmentation analytics to achieve a stereo recordingaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating classification of communicationobjects according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a table illustrating a data model according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a segment type data model according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a flow chart illustrating communications object and segmenttyping in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 16 illustrates a chart indicating the setup time duration as apercentage of a telephonic communication between a customer and a CSRaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 17 is a table illustrating a negotiation libraries that are appliedto communications segments to determine negotiation strength accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 18 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method for determiningnegotiation strength of telephonic communications between customers andCSRs according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many differentforms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described indetail preferred embodiments of the invention with the understandingthat the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification ofthe principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broadaspect of the invention to the embodiments illustrated.

Referring to FIGS. 1-18, a method and system for analyzing an electroniccommunication between a customer and a contact center is provided. A“contact center” as used herein can include any facility or systemserver suitable for receiving and recording electronic communicationsfrom customers. Such communications can include, for example, telephonecalls, facsimile transmissions, e-mails, web interactions, voice over IP(“VoIP”) and video. It is contemplated that these communications may betransmitted by and through any type of telecommunication device and overany medium suitable for carrying data. For example, the communicationsmay be transmitted by or through telephone lines, cable or wirelesscommunications. As shown in FIG. 1, the contact center of the presentinvention is adapted to receive and record varying electroniccommunications and data formats that represent an interaction that mayoccur between a customer (or caller) and a contact center agent duringfulfillment of a customer and agent transaction.

Process descriptions or blocks in figures should be understood asrepresenting modules, segments, or portions of code which include one ormore executable instructions for implementing specific logical functionsor steps in the process. Alternate implementations are included withinthe scope of the embodiments of the present invention in which functionsmay be executed out of order from that shown or discussed, includingsubstantially concurrently or in reverse order, depending on thefunctionality involved, as would be understood by those having ordinaryskill in the art.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a computer or server 12. For purposes ofunderstanding the hardware as described herein, the terms “computer” and“server” have identical meanings and are interchangeably used. Computer12 includes control system 14. The control system 14 of the inventioncan be implemented in software (e.g., firmware), hardware, or acombination thereof. The control system 14 may be implemented insoftware, as an executable program, and is executed by one or morespecial or general purpose digital computer(s), such as a personalcomputer (PC; IBM-compatible, Apple-compatible, or otherwise), servercomputer, personal digital assistant, workstation, minicomputer, ormainframe computer. An example of a general purpose computer that canimplement the control system 14 of the present invention is shown inFIG. 2. The control system 14 may reside in, or have portions residingin, any computer such as, but not limited to, a general purpose personalcomputer. Therefore, computer 12 of FIG. 2 may be representative of anycomputer in which the control system 14 resides or partially resides.

Generally, in terms of hardware architecture, as shown in FIG. 2, thecomputer 12 may include a processor 16, memory 18, and one or more inputand/or output (I/O) devices 20 (or peripherals) that are communicativelycoupled via a local interface 22. The local interface 22 may be, forexample, but not limited to, one or more buses or other wired orwireless connections, as is known in the art. The local interface 22 mayhave additional elements, which are omitted for simplicity, such ascontrollers, buffers (caches), drivers, repeaters, and receivers, toenable communications. Further, the local interface may include address,control, and/or data connections to enable appropriate communicationsamong the other computer components.

The processor 16 may be a hardware device for executing software,particularly software stored in memory 18. The processor 16 may be anycustom made or commercially available processor, a central processingunit (CPU), an auxiliary processor among several processors associatedwith the computer 12, a semiconductor based microprocessor (in the formof a microchip or chip set), a macroprocessor, or generally any devicefor executing software instructions. Examples of suitable commerciallyavailable microprocessors are as follows: a PA-RISC seriesmicroprocessor from Hewlett-Packard Company, an 80×8 or Pentium seriesmicroprocessor from Intel Corporation, a PowerPC microprocessor fromIBM, a Sparc microprocessor from Sun Microsystems, Inc., or a 68xxxseries microprocessor from Motorola Corporation.

The memory 18 may include any one or a combination of volatile memoryelements (e.g., random access memory (RAM, such as DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM,etc.)) and nonvolatile memory elements (e.g., ROM, hard drive, tape,CDROM, etc.). Moreover, memory 18 may incorporate electronic, magnetic,optical, and/or other types of storage media. The memory 18 may have adistributed architecture where various components are situated remotefrom one another, but can be accessed by the processor 16.

The software in memory 18 may include one or more separate programs,each of which comprises an ordered listing of executable instructionsfor implementing logical functions. In the example of FIG. 2, thesoftware in the memory 18 includes the control system 14 in accordancewith the present invention and a suitable operating system (O/S) 24. Anon-exhaustive list of examples of suitable commercially availableoperating systems 24 is as follows: (a) a Windows operating systemavailable from Microsoft Corporation; (b) a Netware operating systemavailable from Novell, Inc.; (c) a Macintosh operating system availablefrom Apple Computer, Inc.; (d) a UNIX operating system, which isavailable for purchase from many vendors, such as the Hewlett-PackardCompany, Sun Microsystems, Inc., and AT&T Corporation; (e) a LINUXoperating system, which is freeware that is readily available on theInternet; (f) a run time Vxworks operating system from WindRiverSystems, Inc.; or (g) an appliance-based operating system, such as thatimplemented in handheld computers or personal digital assistants (PDAs)(e.g., PalmOS available from Palm Computing, Inc., and Windows CEavailable from Microsoft Corporation). The operating system 24 maycontrol the execution of other computer programs, such as the controlsystem 14, and provides scheduling, input-output control, file and datamanagement, memory management, and communication control and relatedservices.

The control system 14 may be a source program, executable program(object code), script, or any other entity comprising a set ofinstructions to be performed. When a source program, the program needsto be translated via a compiler, assembler, interpreter, or the like,which may or may not be included within the memory 18, so as to operateproperly in connection with the O/S 24. Furthermore, the control system14 may be written as (a) an object oriented programming language, whichhas classes of data and methods, or (b) a procedure programminglanguage, which has routines, subroutines, and/or functions, for examplebut not limited to, C, C++, C# (C Sharp), Pascal, Basic, Fortran, Cobol,Perl, Java, and Ada. The I/O devices 20 may include input devices, forexample but not limited to, a keyboard, mouse, scanner, microphone,touch screens, interfaces for various medical devices, bar code readers,stylus, laser readers, radio-frequency device readers, etc. Furthermore,the I/O devices 20 may also include output devices, for example but notlimited to, a printer, bar code printers, displays, etc. Finally, theI/O devices 20 may further include devices that communicate both inputsand outputs, for instance but not limited to, a modulator/demodulator(modem; for accessing another device, system, or network), a radiofrequency (RF) or other transceiver, a telephonic interface, a bridge, arouter, etc.

If the computer 12 is a PC, server, workstation, PDA, or the like, thesoftware in the memory 18 may further include a basic input outputsystem (BIOS) (not shown in FIG. 2). The BIOS is a set of softwareroutines that initialize and test hardware at startup, start the O/S 24,and support the transfer of data among the hardware devices. The BIOS isstored in ROM so that the BIOS can be executed when the computer 12 isactivated.

When the computer 12 is in operation, the processor 16 is configured toexecute software stored within the memory 18, to communicate data to andfrom the memory 18, and to generally control operations of the computer12 pursuant to the software. The control system 14 and the O/S 24, inwhole or in part, but typically the latter, are read by the processor16, perhaps buffered within the processor 16, and then executed.

When the control system 14 is implemented in software, as is shown inFIG. 2, it should be noted that the control system 14 can be stored onany computer readable medium for use by or in connection with anycomputer related system or method. In the context of this document, a“computer-readable medium” can be any means that can store, communicate,propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with theinstruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The computerreadable medium can be for example, but not limited to, an electronic,magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system,apparatus, device, or propagation medium. More specific examples (anon-exhaustive list) of the computer-readable medium would include thefollowing: an electrical connection (electronic) having one or morewires, a portable computer diskette (magnetic), a random access memory(RAM) (electronic), a read-only memory (ROM) (electronic), an erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM, EEPROM, or Flash memory)(electronic), an optical fiber (optical), and a portable compact discread-only memory (CDROM) (optical). Note that the computer-readablemedium could even be paper or another suitable medium upon which theprogram is printed, as the program can be electronically captured, via,for instance, optical scanning of the paper or other medium, thencompiled, interpreted or otherwise processed in a suitable manner ifnecessary, and then stored in a computer memory. The control system 14can be embodied in any computer-readable medium for use by or inconnection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device,such as a computer-based system, processor-containing system, or othersystem that can fetch the instructions from the instruction executionsystem, apparatus, or device and execute the instructions.

Where the control system 14 is implemented in hardware, the controlsystem 14 may be implemented with any or a combination of the followingtechnologies: a discrete logic circuit(s) having logic gates forimplementing logic functions upon data signals, an application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC) having appropriate combinational logic gates,a programmable gate array(s) (PGA), a field programmable gate array(FPGA), etc.

The present invention may be implemented in one or more modules usinghardware, software, and/or a combination of hardware and software.Specifically, the individual functions of the present invention may beimplemented as one or more modules, each module having one or moreparticular functions and/or purposes to carry out the one or morefeatures of the embodiments of the present invention.

In an exemplary embodiment, the one or more modules may include one ormore executable programs or portions of one or more executable programscomprising one or more sets of instructions to be performed by thecontrol system 14. Although the invention is described in terms of aplurality of functions, it should be noted that the individual functionsof the embodiments described herein may be implemented in only one or aplurality of modules. A module, therefore, may include one or morefunctions, as described herein.

FIG. 3 illustrates an uncompressed digital stereo audio waveform of acommunication between a customer and a call center agent that isrecorded and separated into customer voice data and call center agentvoice data 26. The voice data associated with the audio waveform is thenmined and analyzed using multi-stage linguistic and non-linguisticanalytic tools 28. The analysis data is stored 30 and can be accessed bya user 31 (e.g., CSR supervisor) through an interface portal 32 forsubsequent review 32. The digital stereo audio waveform is compressed 34and stored 36 in an audio file which is held on a media server 38 forsubsequent access through the interface portal 32.

The method of the present invention is configured to postpone audiocompression until analysis of the audio data is complete. This delayallows the system to apply the analytic tools to a truer and clearerhi-fidelity signal. The system employed in connection with the presentinvention also minimizes audio distortion, increases fidelity,eliminates gain control and requires no additional filtering of thesignal.

As shown in FIG. 4, the method of the present invention morespecifically comprises the step of separating a telephonic communication2 into first constituent voice data and second constituent voice data40. One of the first or second constituent voice data may then beseparately analyzed at step 42. At step 44, the first constituent voicedata or the second constituent voice data may be classified by aparticular classification type.

The telephonic communication 2 being analyzed may be one of numerouscalls stored within a contact center server 12, or communicated to acontact center during a given time period. Accordingly, the presentmethod contemplates that the telephonic communication 2 being subjectedto analysis is selected from the plurality of telephonic communications.The selection criteria for determining which communication to analyzemay vary. For example, the communications coming into a contact centercan be automatically categorized into a plurality of call types using anappropriate algorithm. For example, the system may employ aword-spotting algorithm that categorizes communications 2 intoparticular types or categories based on words used in the communication.In one embodiment, each communication 2 is automatically categorized asa service call type (e.g., a caller requesting assistance for servicinga previously purchased product), a retention call type (e.g., a callerexpressing indignation, or having a significant life change event), or asales call type (e.g., a caller purchasing an item offered by a seller).In one scenario, it may be desirable to analyze all of the “sales calltype” communications received by a contact center during a predeterminedtime frame.

Alternatively, the communications 2 may be grouped according to customercategories, and the user may desire to analyze the communications 2between the call center and communicants within a particular customercategory. For example, it may be desirable for a user to perform ananalysis only of a “platinum customers” category, consisting of high endinvestors, or a “high volume distributors” category comprised of auser's best distributors.

In one embodiment the telephonic communication 2 is a telephone call inwhich a telephonic signal is transmitted. As many be seen in FIGS. 5 and6, a customer sending a telephonic signal may access a contact center 10through the public switched telephone network (PSTN) 203 and anautomatic call distribution system (PBX/ACD) 205 directs thecommunication to one of a plurality of agent work stations 211, 213.Each agent work station 211, 213 may include, for example, a computer215 and a telephone 213.

When analyzing voice data, it is preferable to work from a true andclear hi-fidelity signal. This is true both in instances in which thevoice data is being translated into a text format for analysis, or ininstance in which an analysis model is being applied directly to anaudio waveform, audio stream or file containing voice data.

FIG. 5 illustrates a telephonic communication system 201, such as adistributed private branch exchange (PBX), having a public switchedtelephone network (PSTN) 203 connected to the PBX through a PBX switch205.

The PBX switch 205 may provide an interface between the PSTN 203 and alocal network. The interface may be controlled by software stored on atelephony server 207 coupled to the PBX switch 205. The PBX switch 205,using interface software, may connect trunk and line station interfacesof the public switch telephone network 203 to stations of a localnetwork or other peripheral devices contemplated by one skilled in theart. The PBX switch may be integrated within telephony server 207. Thestations may include various types of communication devices connected tothe network, including the telephony server 207, a recording server 209,telephone stations 211, and client personal computers 213 equipped withtelephone stations 215. The local network may further include faxmachines and modems.

Generally, in terms of hardware architecture, the telephony server 207may include a processor, memory, and one or more input and/or output(I/O) devices (or peripherals) that are communicatively coupled via alocal interface. The processor may be any custom-made or commerciallyavailable processor, a central processing unit (CPU), an auxiliaryprocessor among several processors associated with the telephony server207, a semiconductor based microprocessor (in the form of a microchip orchip set), a macroprocessor, or generally any device for executingsoftware instructions. The memory of the telephony server 207 mayinclude any one or a combination of volatile memory elements (e.g.,random access memory (RAM, such as DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM, etc.)) andnonvolatile memory elements (e.g., ROM, hard drive, tape, CDROM, etc.).The telephony server 207 may further include a keyboard and a mouse forcontrol purposes, and an attached graphic monitor for observation ofsoftware operation.

The telephony server 207 may incorporate PBX control software to controlthe initiation and termination of connections between stations and viaoutside trunk-connections to the PSTN 203. In addition, the software maymonitor the status of all telephone stations 211 in real-time on thenetwork and may be capable of responding to telephony events to providetraditional telephone service. This may include the control andgeneration of the conventional signaling tones such as dial tones, busytones, ring back tones, as well as the connection and termination ofmedia streams between telephones on the local network. Further, the PBXcontrol software may use a multi-port module 223 and PCs to implementstandard PBX functions such as the initiation and termination oftelephone calls, either across the network or to outside trunk lines,the ability to put calls on hold, to transfer, park and pick up calls,to conference multiple callers, and to provide caller ID information.Telephony applications such as voice mail and auto attendant may beimplemented by application software using the PBX as a network telephonyservices provider.

Referring to FIG. 7, the telephony server 207 may be equipped withmulti-port PSTN module 223 having circuitry and software to implement atrunk interface 217 and a local network interface 219. The PSTN module223 may comprise a control processor 221 to manage the transmission andreception of network messages between the PBX switch 205 and thetelephony network server 207. The control processor 221 also may becapable of directing network messages between the PBX switch 205, thelocal network interface 291, the telephony network server 207, and thetrunk interface 217. The local network may use Transmission ControlProtocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). The network messages may containcomputer data, telephony transmission supervision, signaling and variousmedia streams, such as audio data and video data. The control processor221 may direct network messages containing computer data from the PBXswitch 205 to the telephony network server 207 directly through themulti-port PSTN module 223.

The control processor 221 may include buffer storage and control logicto convert media streams from one format to another, if necessary,between the trunk interface 217 and local network. The trunk interface217 provides interconnection with the trunk circuits of the PSTN 203.The local network interface 219 provides conventional software andcircuitry to enable the telephony server 207 to access the localnetwork. The buffer RAM and control logic implement efficient transferof media streams between the trunk interface 217, the telephony server207, the digital signal processor 225, and the local network interface219.

The trunk interface 217 utilizes conventional telephony trunktransmission supervision and signaling protocols required to interfacewith the outside trunk circuits from the PSTN 203. The trunk lines carryvarious types of telephony signals such as transmission supervision andsignaling, audio, fax, or modem data to provide plain old telephoneservice (POTS). In addition, the trunk lines may carry othercommunication formats such T1, ISDN or fiber service to providetelephony or multimedia data images, video, text or audio.

The control processor 221 may manage real-time telephony event handlingpertaining to the telephone trunk line interfaces, including managingthe efficient use of digital signal processor resources for thedetection of caller ID, DTMF, call progress and other conventional formsof signaling found on trunk lines. The control processor 221 also maymanage the generation of telephony tones for dialing and other purposes,and controls the connection state, impedance matching, and echocancellation of individual trunk line interfaces on the multi-port PSTNmodule 223.

Preferably, conventional PBX signaling is utilized between trunk andstation, or station and station, such that data is translated intonetwork messages that convey information relating to real-time telephonyevents on the network, or instructions to the network adapters of thestations to generate the appropriate signals and behavior to supportnormal voice communication, or instructions to connect voice mediastreams using standard connections and signaling protocols. Networkmessages are sent from the control processor 221 to the telephony server207 to notify the PBX software in the telephony server 207 of real-timetelephony events on the attached trunk lines. Network messages arereceived from the PBX Switch 205 to implement telephone call supervisionand may control the set-up and elimination of media streams for voicetransmission.

The local network interface 219 may include conventional circuitry tointerface with the local network. The specific circuitry may bedependent on the signal protocol utilized in the local network. Thelocal network may be a local area network (LAN) utilizing IP telephony.IP telephony integrates audio and video stream control with legacytelephony functions and may be supported through the H.323 protocol.H.323 is an International Telecommunication Union-Telecommunicationsprotocol used to provide voice and video services over data networks.H.323 permits users to make point-to-point audio and video phone callsover a local area network. IP telephony systems can be integrated withthe public telephone system through a local network interface 219, suchas an IP/PBX-PSTN gateway, thereby allowing a user to place telephonecalls from an enabled computer. For example, a call from an IP telephonyclient to a conventional telephone would be routed on the LAN to theIP/PBX-PSTN gateway. The IP/PBX-PSTN gateway translates H.323 protocolto conventional telephone protocol and routes the call over theconventional telephone network to its destination. Conversely, anincoming call from the PSTN 203 is routed to the IP/PBX-PSTN gateway andtranslates the conventional telephone protocol to H.323 protocol.

As noted above, PBX trunk control messages are transmitted from thetelephony server 207 to the control processor 221 of the multi-portPSTN. In contrast, network messages containing media streams of digitalrepresentations of real-time voice are transmitted between the trunkinterface 217 and local network interface 219 using the digital signalprocessor 225. The digital signal processor 225 may include bufferstorage and control logic. Preferably, the buffer storage and controllogic implement a first-in-first-out (FIFO) data buffering scheme fortransmitting digital representations of voice audio between the localnetwork to the trunk interface 217. It is noted that the digital signalprocessor 225 may be integrated with the control processor 221 on asingle microprocessor.

The digital signal processor 225 may include a coder/decoder (CODEC)connected to the control processor 221. The CODEC may be a type TCM29c13integrated circuit made by Texas Instruments, Inc. For example, thedigital signal processor 225 may receive an analog or digital voicesignal from a station within the network or from the trunk lines of thePSTN 203. The CODEC converts the analog voice signal into in a digitalfrom, such as digital data packets. It should be noted that the CODEC isnot used when connection is made to digital lines and devices. From theCODEC, the digital data is transmitted to the digital signal processor225 where telephone functions take place. The digital data is thenpassed to the control processor 221 which accumulates the data bytesfrom the digital signal processor 225. It is preferred that the databytes are stored in a first-in-first-out (FIFO) memory buffer untilthere is sufficient data for one data packet to be sent according to theparticular network protocol of the local network. The specific number ofbytes transmitted per data packet depends on network latencyrequirements as selected by one of ordinary skill in the art. Once adata packet is created, the data packet is sent to the appropriatedestination on the local network through the local network interface219. Among other information, the data packet may contain a sourceaddress, a destination address, and audio data. The source addressidentifies the location the audio data originated from and thedestination address identifies the location the audio data is to besent.

The system may enable bi-directional communication by implementing areturn path allowing data from the local network, through the localnetwork interface 219, to be sent to the PSTN 203 through the multi-linePSTN trunk interface 217. Data streams from the local network arereceived by the local network interface 219 and translated from theprotocol utilized on the local network to the protocol utilized on thePSTN 203. The conversion of data may be performed as the inverseoperation of the conversion described above relating to the IP/PBX-PSTNgateway. The data stream may be restored in appropriate form suitablefor transmission through to either a connected telephone 211, 215 or aninterface trunk 217 of the PSTN module 223, or a digital interface suchas a T1 line or ISDN. In addition, digital data may be converted toanalog data for transmission over the PSTN 203.

Generally, the PBX switch of the present invention may be implementedwith hardware or virtually. A hardware PBX has equipment located localto the user of the PBX system. The PBX switch 205 utilized may be astandard PBX manufactured by Avaya, Siemens AG, NEC, Nortel, Toshiba,Fujitsu, Vodavi, Mitel, Ericsson, Panasonic, or InterTel. In contrast, avirtual PBX has equipment located at a central telephone serviceprovider and delivers the PBX as a service over the PSTN 203.

Turning again to FIG. 5, the system may include a recording server 209for recording and separating network messages transmitted within thesystem. The recording server 209 may be connected to a port on the localnetwork, as seen in FIG. 5. Alternatively, the recording server 209 maybe connected to the PSTN trunk line. The recording server 209 mayinclude control system software, such as recording software. Therecording software of the invention may be implemented in software(e.g., firmware), hardware, or a combination thereof. The recordingsoftware may be implemented in software as an executable program, and isexecuted by one or more special or general purpose digital computer(s),such as a personal computer (PC; IBM-compatible, Apple-compatible, orotherwise), server, personal digital assistant, workstation,minicomputer, or mainframe computer. An example of a general purposecomputer that can implement the recording software of the presentinvention is shown in FIG. 2. The recording software may reside in, orhave portions residing in, any computer such as, but not limited to, ageneral purpose personal computer. Therefore, recording server 209 ofFIG. 5 may be representative of any type of computer in which therecording software resides or partially resides.

Generally, hardware architecture may be the same as that discussed aboveand shown in FIG. 2. Specifically, the recording server 209 includes aprocessor, memory, and one or more input and/or output (I/O) devices (orperipherals) that are communicatively coupled via a local interface aspreviously described. The local interface can be, for example, but notlimited to, one or more buses or other wired or wireless connections.The local interface may have additional elements, which are omitted forsimplicity, such as controllers, buffers (caches), drivers, repeaters,and receivers, to enable communications. Further, the local interfacemay include address, control, and/or data connections to enableappropriate communications among the other computer components.

As noted above, the recording server 209 incorporates recording softwarefor recording and separating a signal based on the source address and/ordestination address of the signal. The method utilized by the recordingserver 209 depends on the communication protocol utilized on thecommunication lines to which the recording server 209 is coupled. In thecommunication system contemplated by the present invention, the signalcarrying audio data of a communication between at least two users may bean analog signal or a digital signal in the form of a network message.In one embodiment, the signal is an audio data transmitted according toa signaling protocol, for example the H.323 protocol described above.

An example of a communication between an outside caller and a callcenter agent utilizing the present system 200 is illustrated in FIG. 7and described herein. In the embodiment of FIG. 7, when an outsidecaller reaches the system through the multi-line interface trunk 217,their voice signal may be digitized (if needed) in the manner describedabove, and converted into digital data packets 235 (as illustrated inFIG. 8) according to the communication protocol utilized on the localnetwork of the system. The data packet 235 may comprise a source addressidentifying the address of the outside caller, a destination addressidentifying the address of the call center agent, and first constituentaudio data comprising at least a portion of the outside caller's voice.The data packet 235 may further comprise routing data identifying howthe data packet 235 should be routed through the system and otherrelevant data. Once the data packet 235 is created, the data packet 235may be sent to the appropriate destination on the local network, such asto a call center agent, through the local network interface 219. The PBXand/or an automatic call distributor (ACD) 205 may determine the initialcommunication setup, such as the connection state, impedance matching,and echo cancellation, according to predetermined criteria.

Similar to the process described above, when the call center agentspeaks, their voice is digitized (if needed) and converted into digitaldata packet 235 according to the communication protocol utilized on thelocal network. The data packet 235 comprises a source addressidentifying the address of the call center agent, a destination addressidentifying the address of the outside caller, and second constituentaudio data comprising at least a portion of the call center agent'svoice. The data packet 235 is received by the local network interface219 and translated from the communication protocol utilized on the localnetwork to the communication protocol utilized on the PSTN 203. Theconversion of data can be performed as described above. The data packet235 is restored in appropriate form suitable for transmission through toeither a connected telephone 211 (illustrated in FIGS. 5 and/or 6), 215or a interface trunk 217 of the PSTN module 223, or a digital interfacesuch as a T1 line or ISDN. In addition, digital data may be converted toanalog data for transmission through the PSTN 203.

The recording server 209 (as shown in FIGS. 5 and/or 6) may receive adata packet 235 comprising: the source address identifying the addressof the outside caller, a destination address identifying the address ofthe call center agent, and the first constituent audio data comprisingat least a portion of the outside callers voice. The recording server209 may alternatively receive a data packet 235 comprising a sourceaddress identifying the address of the call center agent, a destinationaddress identifying the address of the outside caller, and secondconstituent audio data comprising at least a portion of the customer'sagent voice. It is understood by one of ordinary skill in the art thatthe recording server 209 is programmed to identify the communicationprotocol utilized by the local network and extract the audio data withinthe data packet 235. In one embodiment, the recording server 209 canautomatically identify the utilized communication protocol from aplurality of communication protocols. The plurality of communicationprotocols can be stored in local memory or accessed from a remotedatabase.

The recording server 209 may comprise recording software to record thecommunication session between the outside caller and the call centeragent in a single data file in a stereo format. Now referring to FIG. 8,the first data file 241 has at least a first audio track 237 and asecond audio track 239. Once a telephone connection is establishedbetween an outside caller and a call center agent, the recordingsoftware may create a first data file 241 to record the communicationbetween the outside caller and the call center agent. It is contemplatedthat the entire communication session or a portion of the communicationsession can be recorded.

Upon receiving the data packet 235, the recording server 209 determineswhether to record the audio data contained in the data packet 235 ineither the first audio track 237 or the second audio track 239 of thefirst data file 241 as determined by the source address, destinationaddress, and/or the audio data contained within the received data packet235. Alternatively, two first data files can be created, wherein thefirst audio track is recorded to the one of the first data file and thesecond audio track is recorded to the second first data file. In oneembodiment, if the data packet 235 comprises a source addressidentifying the address of the outside caller, a destination addressidentifying the address of the call center agent, and first constituentaudio data, the first constituent audio data is recorded on the firstaudio track 237 of the first data file 241. Similarly, if the datapacket 235 comprises a source address identifying the address of thecall center agent, a destination address identifying the address of theoutside caller, and second constituent audio data, the secondconstituent audio data is recorded on the second audio track 239 of thefirst data file 241. It should be noted the first and second constituentaudio data can be a digital or analog audio waveform or a textualtranslation of the digital or analog waveform. The recording process maybe repeated until the communication link between the outside caller andcall center agent is terminated.

As noted above, the recording server 209 may be connected to the trunklines of the PSTN 203 as seen in FIG. 6. The PSTN 203 may utilize adifferent protocol and therefore, the recording server 209 is configuredto identify the communication protocol utilized by the PSTN 203,recognize the source and destination address of a signal and extract theaudio data from the PSTN 203.

As shown in FIG. 8, once the communication link is terminated, therecording server 209 ends the recording session and stores the singledata file having the recorded communication session in memory. After thefirst data file is stored in memory, the recording server 209 mayextract either or both of the first constituent audio data from thefirst audio track of the first data file or the second constituent audiodata from the second audio track of the first data file. In oneembodiment, the first constituent audio data extracted from the firstaudio track is stored in a first constituent data file 243. Similarly,the second constituent audio data extracted from the second audio trackmay be stored in a second constituent data file 245. The first andsecond constituent data files 243, 245 can be compressed before beingstored in memory. The extracted data can be in the form of a digital oranalog audio waveform or can be a textual translation of the first orsecond constituent audio data. It is contemplated that either or both ofthe first constituent data file 243 or the second constituent data file245 can be further analyzed or processed. For example, among otherprocesses and analyses, filtering techniques can be applied to the firstconstituent data file and/or the second constituent data file. Moreover,event data, such as silence periods or over-talking, may be identifiedthrough analysis techniques known to those skilled in the art.

Further, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the first constituent data file 243and second constituent data file 245 may be merged together into asingle second data file 247. The first and second constituent data filesmay be merged in a stereo format where the first constituent audio datafrom the first constituent data file 243 is stored on a first audiotrack of the second data file 247 and the second constituent audio datafrom the second constituent data file 245 is stored on a second audiotrack of the second data file 247. Alternatively, the first and secondconstituent data files may be merged in a mono format where the firstconstituent audio data from the first constituent data file 243 and thesecond constituent audio data from the second constituent data file 245are stored on a first audio track of the second data file 247.Additionally, the first and second constituent audio data may be mergedinto a document having a textual translation of the audio data. In sucha case, identifiers may be associated with each of the merged first andsecond constituent audio data in order to associate the merged firstconstituent audio data with the outside caller, and associate the mergedsecond constituent audio data with the call center agent. The seconddata file 247 may be compressed before being stored in memory.

It is known in the art that “cradle-to-grave” recording may be used torecord all information related to a particular telephone call from thetime the call enters the contact center to the later of: the callerhanging up or the agent completing the transaction. All of theinteractions during the call are recorded, including interaction with anIVR system, time spent on hold, data keyed through the caller's key pad,communications with the agent, and screens displayed by the agent athis/her station during the transaction.

As shown in FIGS. 10-12, once the first and second constituent voicedata are separated one from the other, each of the first and secondconstituent voice data can be independently mined and analyzed. It willbe understood that “mining” as referenced herein is to be consideredpart of the process of analyzing the constituent voice data. It is alsocontemplated by the present invention that the mining and behavioralanalysis be conducted on either or both of the constituent voice data.

Even with conventional audio mining technology, application of analysismodels directly to an audio file can be very difficult. In particular,disparities in dialect, phonemes, accents and inflections can impede orrender burdensome accurate identification of words. And while it iscontemplated by the present invention that mining and analysis inaccordance with the present invention can be applied directly to voicedata configured in audio format, in a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, the voice data to be mined and analyzed is firsttranslated into a text file. It will be understood by those of skillthat the translation of audio to text and subsequent data mining may beaccomplished by systems known in the art. For example, the method of thepresent invention may employ software such as that sold under the brandname Audio Mining SDK by Scansoft, Inc., or any other audio miningsoftware suitable for such applications. As shown in FIGS. 10-12, theseparated voice data is used to form communication objects which may betyped (i.e., classified) into categories such as setup, informationexchange, miscommunication, non-interaction, conversation, or positivecomment. In particular, the method of the present invention searches forand identifies text-based keywords relevant to each of the predefinedtype categories. The typed communication objects may then be furthercategorized to form segments of objects according to type.

FIG. 10 illustrates a stereo call recording with voice data for acustomer and a CSR. The voice data from the stereo recording isconverted to text. Accordingly, there is separate text data for thecustomer communication and the CSR communication. Objects may beidentified and typed (i.e., classified) within the text. Alternatively,as illustrated in FIG. 11, a mono (rather than stereo) call recordingthat may be from a VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) may be used toform the stereo recording of the customer and the CSR using speakersegmentation analytics. Upon formation of the stereo recording, thecommunications objects of the customer and the CSR may be identified andtyped (i.e., classified).

FIG. 12 illustrates the words of the CSR and customer as communicationsobjects, as well as CTI (Computer Telephony Integration) events (e.g., a“hold” event). The communications objects may be typed (i.e.,classified) as business related communications objects or asnon-business (e.g., conversation) related communication objects. Objectsmay be further classified as non-interaction objects that are businessrelated. For example, the CSR may place the customer on hold in order tospeak with another CSR regarding the customer's situation.

Upon classification of the customer and CSR communication objects,segments of like objects may be formed. For example, communicationsobjects may be combined to form segments related to call setup,information exchange, non-interaction, conversation, or positivecomment.

FIG. 13 illustrates a table which indicates segment data elements. Forexample, segments may have a segment number which corresponds to theirsequence number order of appearance in a telephonic communication.Segments may also have a duration of time associated with them, as wellas an emotional vector that indicates the emotional direction of thecustomer (e.g., positive, negative, or neutral). Segments may also beidentified with a primary topic. The personality of the segment may alsobe identified. For example, the personality may relate to informationexchange (i.e., business-related communications) or may be classified bya personality type (e.g., emotions, thoughts, reflections, actions, orpositive affirmation). The software application used during the sametime period of the segment may also be affiliated with a segment. Forexample, a business application may be in use during the communicationssegment that relates to information exchange.

FIG. 14 illustrates a table indicating various exemplary types (i.e.,classifications) of segments, such as setup, information exchange,miscommunication, non-interaction, conversation, and positive comment.FIG. 14 also illustrates that a segment vector (e.g., emotionaldirection) may be associated with a segment type. For example, setup andinformation exchange may have neutral (“0”) vectors. Miscommunicationsegments and non-interaction segments may have negative (“−”) vectors,as these segments may be considered unfavorable portions of a telephoniccommunication between a customer and a CSR. Conversation segments, whichmay be non-business related, may have a positive vector (“+”), as thesesegments may be perceived favorably by customers during a telephoniccommunication with a CSR. Positive comment segments (e.g., where acustomer compliments a CSR) may have an increased positive vector(“++”).

FIG. 15 illustrates a flow diagram depicting the classification ofcommunications objects and segments according to an exemplaryembodiments of the invention. Word libraries for types such as setup,information exchange, positive comment, and miscommunication may beapplied against the text of the customer and the CSR from a telephoniccommunication. Non-interaction type classifications may be based on CTIevents. Segments may be “scored” based on the number of word hits fromeach library of words. Next, the method may determine the absence ofword hits to determine if the segment is conversational (i.e.,non-business related). For example, if there are no information exchangeword hits, no miscommunication events, no positive comments, and thesegment is not during a period of non-interaction, the segment may beclassified as conversational. Next, in determining a type for thesegment, overriding or “trump” rules may be applied to determine asingle type for a segment. For example, if there are word hits for asegment for miscommunication and setup, the miscommunication type mayoverride setup for the segment type. Next, adjacent segments (e.g., bysegment number) may be examined. For example, if the prior segmentrelates to setup and the following segment is setup, the segment may beclassified as setup if the word hits for the segment type are, e.g.,greater than one.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the time to identify and verify acustomer (i.e., setup time) may be determined by examining customercommunications segments classified as setup. Each of these typed setupsegments may have an associated time duration associated with them. Thetotal setup time may thus be determined by summing the times for thesetup segments for a telephonic communication. This may then be used todetermine a percentage of the setup time of the total time of thetelephonic communication. As illustrated in FIG. 16, an exemplarytelephonic communication may have a setup time that is 10% of thetelephonic communication. As shown in FIG. 16, other portions of thetelephonic communication may be represented as percentages based atleast in part on typed segments and their duration. For example,segments relating to customer dissatisfaction 16% of the telephoniccommunication, and productive interaction segments between the customerand the CSR may be 36% of the communication.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the typed (i.e., classified)communications segments may be used to identify negotiations between aCSR and a customer. For example, business-related objects and segmentsmay be analyzed for sales and/or collections situations wherenegotiations may take place. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 17,negotiation libraries (e.g., libraries of words related to want, probe,offer, acceptance, refusal, follow-on offer, etc.) of words. Thesenegotiation libraries of words are compared with identified businessobjects and segments to determine negotiation segments. The number ofnegotiation segments in a telephonic communication may be used todetermine the negotiation strength of the CSR.

FIG. 18 illustrates an exemplary method for determining the strength ofnegotiations during a telephonic communication session between acustomer and a CSR. Upon determining the negotiation segments, the totalduration of substantially all of the negotiation segments for aparticular communication may be determined. Next, a “population average”may be determined from similar call types by the contact center andcustomers, where the average time duration for negotiation portions ofcalls is determined. The negotiation strength of a particularcommunication session may be determined by the percentage that thecalculated duration of the negotiations for the particular communicationsession may be determined by the percentage of time spent negotiating isabove or below the population average. For example, if the particularcommunication is above the population average, the negotiation may beindicated as being “strong.” If the particular negotiation duration isbelow the population average, for example, the negotiation may beindicated as “weak.” In these examples, the percentage above or belowmay determine the increased or decreased strength of the CSR fornegotiations relative to the population average of CSRs having similartype communications.

According to a one embodiment of the present invention, a psychologicalbehavioral model may also be used to analyze the voice data, and may be,for example, the Process Communication Model (“PCM”) developed by Dr.Taibi Kahler. PCM is a psychological behavioral analytic tool whichpresupposes that all people fall primarily into one of six basicpersonality types: Reactor, Workaholic, Persister, Dreamer, Rebel andPromoter. Although each person is one of these six types, all peoplehave parts of all six types within them arranged like a six-tierconfiguration. Each of the six types learns differently, is motivateddifferently, communicates differently, and has a different sequence ofnegative behaviors they engage in when they are in distress.Importantly, according to PCM, each personality type of PCM respondspositively or negatively to communications that include tones ormessages commonly associated with another of the PCM personality types.Thus, an understanding of a communicant's PCM personality type offersguidance as to an appropriate responsive tone or message or wording.

According to the PCM Model the following behavioral characteristics areassociated with the respective personality types. Reactors:compassionate, sensitive, and warm; great “people skills” and enjoyworking with groups of people. Workaholics: responsible, logical, andorganized. Persisters: conscientious, dedicated, and observant; tend tofollow the rules and expect others to follow them. Dreamers: reflective,imaginative, and calm. Rebels: creative, spontaneous, and playful.Promoters: resourceful, adaptable, and charming.

These behavioral characteristics may be categorized by words, tones,gestures, postures and facial expressions, and can be observedobjectively with significantly high interjudge reliability.

Significant words may be mined within one or both of the separated firstand second constituent voice data, and applies PCM to the identifiedwords. For example, the following behavioral signifiers (i.e., words)may be associated with the corresponding behavioral type in the PCMModel TYPE BEHAVIORAL SIGNIFIERS: Reactors—Emotional Words;Workaholics—Thought Words; Persisters—Opinion Words; Dreamers—ReflectionWords; Rebels—Reaction Words; Promoters—Action Words.

When a behavioral signifier is identified within the voice data, theidentified behavioral signifier is executed against a system databasewhich maintains all of the data related to the psychological behavioralmodel. Based on the behavioral signifiers identified in the analyzedvoice data, a predetermined algorithm is used to decipher a linguisticpattern that corresponds to one or more of the PCM personality types.More specifically, the method mines for linguistic indicators (words andphrases) that reveal the underlying personality characteristics of thespeaker during periods of distress. Non-linguistic indicators may alsobe identified to augment or confirm the selection of a style for eachsegment of speech. Looking at all the speech segments in conjunctionwith personality information the software determines an order ofpersonality components for the caller by weighing a number of factorssuch as timing, position, quantity and interaction between the partiesin the dialog.

The resultant behavioral assessment data is stored in a database so thatit may subsequently be used to comparatively analyze against behavioralassessment data derived from analysis of the other of the first andsecond constituent voice data. The software considers the speech segmentpatterns of all parties in the dialog as a whole to refine thebehavioral and distress assessment data of each party, making sure thatthe final distress and behavioral results are consistent with patternsthat occur in human interaction. Alternatively, the raw behavioralassessment data derived from the analysis of the single voice data maybe used to evaluate qualities of a single communicant (e.g., thecustomer or agent behavioral type, etc.). The results generated byanalyzing voice data through application of a psychological behavioralmodel to one or both of the first and second constituent voice data canbe graphically illustrated as discussed in further detail below.

It should be noted that, although one preferred embodiment of thepresent invention uses PCM as a linguistic-based psychologicalbehavioral model, it is contemplated that any known linguistic-basedpsychological behavioral model be employed without departing from thepresent invention. It is also contemplated that more than onelinguistic-based psychological behavioral model be used to analyze oneor both of the first and second constituent voice data.

In addition to the behavioral assessment of voice data, the method ofthe present invention may also employ distress analysis to voice data.Linguistic-based distress analysis is preferably conducted on both thetextual translation of the voice data and the audio file containingvoice data. Accordingly, linguistic-based analytic tools as well asnon-linguistic analytic tools may be applied to the audio file. Forexample, one of skill in the art may apply spectral analysis to theaudio file voice data while applying a word spotting analytical tool tothe text file. Linguistic-based word spotting analysis and algorithmsfor identifying distress can be applied to the textual translation ofthe communication. Preferably, the resultant distress data is stored ina database for subsequent analysis of the communication.

While the specific embodiments have been illustrated and described,numerous modifications come to mind without significantly departing fromthe spirit of the invention and the scope of protection is only limitedby the scope of the accompanying Claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for analyzing a telephonic communicationbetween one or more customers and a contact center having one or moreagents, the system comprising: a first server for recording a telephoniccommunication between a customer and an agent; a module for processingsaid telephonic communication into a plurality of computer telephonyinterpretation events; and a module for analyzing said plurality ofcomputer telephony interpretation events and classifying said pluralityof computer telephony interpretation events into a first type and asecond, different type.
 2. The system of claim 1 wherein the types areselected from the group consisting of setup, information exchange,miscommunication, non-interaction, conversation, positive comments, andcombinations thereof.
 3. The system of 1 further comprising: a modulefor classifying at least one of the plurality of computer telephonyinterpretation events as negotiations.
 4. The system of claim 3 furthercomprising: a module for determining the number of computer telephonyinterpretation events classified as negotiation; and a module fordetermining a negotiation strength indicator based on the number ofcomputer telephony interpretation events classified as negotiation. 5.The system of claim 4 further comprising: a module for determining theaverage number of computer telephony interpretation events classified asnegotiation over a period of time for the contact center; and a modulefor comparing the average number of computer telephony interpretationevents classified as negotiation and the number of computer telephonyinterpretation events classified as negotiation.
 6. The system of claim1 further comprising: a module for determining the duration of eachcomputer telephony interaction event classified as a first type.
 7. Thesystem of claim 1 further comprising a module for processing saidtelephonic communication into constituent voice data, a module foranalyzing said constituent voice data to form communication objects, anda module for classifying the communications objects into types andforming segments of communications objects.
 8. A method for analyzing atelephonic communication between one or more customers and a contactcenter having one or more agents, the method comprising the steps of:recording, with a processor, onto a non-transitory computer readablemedium a telephonic communication between a customer and an agent;processing said telephonic communication into a plurality of computertelephony interpretation event; analyzing said plurality of computertelephony interpretation event; and classifying said plurality ofcomputer telephony interpretation event into types a first type and asecond, different type.
 9. The method of claim 8 wherein the types areselected from the group consisting of setup, information exchange,miscommunication, non-interaction, conversation, positive comments, andcombinations thereof.
 10. The method of claim 8 further comprising thestep of: classifying at least one of the plurality of computer telephonyinterpretation events as a negotiation.
 11. The method of claim 10further comprising the steps of: determining the number of computertelephony interpretation events classified as negotiation; anddetermining a negotiation strength indicator based on the number ofcomputer telephony interpretation events classified as negotiation. 12.The method of claim 11 further comprising the steps of: determining theaverage number of computer telephony interpretation events classified asa negotiation over a period of time for the contact center; andcomparing the average number of computer telephony interpretation eventsclassified as a negotiation and the number of computer telephonyinterpretation events classified as a negotiation.
 13. The method ofclaim 8 further comprising the step of: determining the duration of thecomputer telephony interaction event classified as the first type. 14.The method of claim 8 further comprising the steps of: processing saidtelephonic communication into constituent voice data; analyzing saidconstituent voice data to form communication objects; classifying thecommunications objects into types; and forming segments ofcommunications objects.
 15. A method for analyzing a telephoniccommunication between one or more customers and a contact center havingone or more agents, the method comprising the steps of: recording, witha processor, onto a non-transitory computer readable medium a telephoniccommunication between a customer and an agent; processing saidtelephonic communication into a plurality of computer telephonyinterpretation events; analyzing said plurality of computer telephonyinterpretation event; classifying said plurality of computer telephonyinterpretation event into a first type and a second, different type;processing said telephonic communication into constituent voice data;analyzing said constituent voice data to form communication objects;classifying the communications objects into types; and forming segmentsof communications objects based on said classifying.
 16. The method ofclaim 15 wherein the types are selected from the group consisting ofsetup, information exchange, miscommunication, non-interaction,conversation, positive comments, and combinations thereof.
 17. Themethod of claim 15 further comprising classifying at least one of thecommunication objects as a negotiation.
 18. The method of claim 15further comprising the steps of: determining a number of computertelephony interpretation events classified as negotiation; anddetermining a negotiation strength indicator based on the number ofcomputer telephony interpretation events classified as negotiation. 19.The method of claim 15 further comprising the steps of determining theaverage number of communications objects classified as a negotiationover a period of time for the contact center; and comparing the averagenumber of communications objects classified as a negotiation and anumber of events classified as a negotiation.
 20. The method of claim 15further comprising determining the duration of the communicationsobjects event classified as a type.